Abhazya'da devrim: Kimlik ve egemenlik (1917 – 1931)

In 1917, the revolutionary movements that led to the dissolution of the Russian Empire paved the way for many ethnic minorities to develop their own national policies and pursue first autonomy and then independence. Among the ethnicities that developed their own national policies in the chaotic aftermath of the revolution were the Abkhaz, a local Caucasian people. The aristocratic class and the elites established an ethnic administration in the country. The Abkhaz, who became a minority in their own country after the deportations under Tsarism, established identity and sovereignty relations with many elements in order to pursue their ethno-national interests. The Abkhaz, inclined towards the Mountaineer unity established in the North Caucasus, accepted the definition of Mountaineer as a higher identity and politically became part of the Mountain confederation. However, the micro-imperialist policies of Menshevik Georgia, which became independent during this period, led to the Georgian occupation of Abkhazia and the beginning of a period of repression. With the 1921 Bolshevik victory, the Abkhaz communists succeeded in establishing a Soviet republic on an equal footing with Georgia. Between 1921 and 1931, the Abkhaz, as a titular ethnicity, pursued a method of governance in Abkhazia based on ethno-national interests. In the 1930s, with the change of the Soviet Nationalities Policy, Abkhaz ethno-nationalism was liquidated. This thesis explores the motivation of Abkhaz identity and sovereignty politics during the revolutionary period and analyzes the ethnic factors that influenced this process.